Rami, that's MSRP. I'm not sure what dealers are doing these days, maybe up to 25% off that number. Also, I don't know if the standard Excel is a one pickup or two. The single pickup version might be a little less. All Alembic bass have increased in cost significantly over the past 15 years or so.
My view on the tone? It doesn't have the top end sparkle I am used to from my SC models, but it is very powerful. Even if I bring up the treble, it doesn't quite do the sparkly growl thing I like. I have always been a huge fan of the ebony board, or even the maple board on an old Jazz bass. I am not in a position to swap pieces, but I think I would like the tone more if the board were ebony. In any case, I still need to dial it in, break in the strings a bit more, and tweak amp settings until I find the right batch for this beast before I come to a conclusion. I have been using a GB Streamliner head, but I also have a shuttle. This bass may pair with the Shuttle better. More experiments. As of right now, it seems like a great bass for classic fingerstyle play for a guy that likes to sit in the mix rather than dominate it.
Before I came across this bass, I had decided that I wanted to try to find an Orion 5. This was close enough, and a must-buy at the price. I think I would still trade for an Orion or Essence 5 in good shape if I came across one.
Tom - if I can't find them locally I'll email you, thanks!
-bob
